When we lived in Germany one of the many joys we would look forward to was having family and friends come by our home for a visit and to minister in the church. Of these friends was a good friend and I would say a father in the Lord named Bill Pepper. A day or two before he would leave heading off to another part of the world we would sit down and have a heart to heart talk. I always admired his non-denominational position of church organization and his Christian witness, Godly influence, and experience. Since we have just started (1996) he told me many of the mainstream denominations will be coming by soon for a visit and to see if they could persuade me into joining their denomination. I kind of ignored it until friends from the United Pentecostal Church, the Southern Baptist, and many more denominations discovered our new church and our old friendship, what a sham. God has and still is using Dr. Pepper beyond his abilities. But during one of these meetings Bill Pepper told me in time I will see what was planted in the folks at Christliche Gemeinde Stuttgart, because whatsoever is planted grows. I too did not really understand what he was staying, but as we were getting ready to return home to the States (in 2003) after seven wonderful years to the second God brought his words back to me, “whatsoever is planted grows.” The fruit that grows from the seed that was sowed in the people will manifest in their lives for all the world to see. Now this truth is two edged. One edge that will be seen will be the good fruit produced from the good seed and the spiritual manifestation therein; the seed was sown, took root, produced fruit and a harvest, and is hanging on the branches of their lives. And the other edge is the bad fruit from the bad seed and the spiritual manifestation therein; the seed was sown, took root, produced fruit and a harvest, and hanging on the branches in their lives. Whatsoever is planted grows my friend that is from the seeds of our thoughts and actions in our lives. Whatsoever we take in our heart and mind will produce a spiritual manifestation from the seed planted. Sadly, today the liars on Christian TV (like TBN and others) project money as the seed of God, well that is so far from the truth. And for God to be able to bless us we must plant money into their ministry, camel cookies! God blesses us because we have been obedient to Him, we have been found faithful, been approved and have qualified for God to bless. Faithful and obedient in serving God is the condition we must meet to receive God’s best. In Luke we see the disciples had problems with the parable of the sower and why? Because of their wrong heart condition so they asked Jesus what the seed was and Jesus told them, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) The disciples as well as the liars of Christian TV could not see the truth in this verse because they are more concerned about the 30, 60, and 100 fold (Mark 4:20) return than they were of the word of God. Amazingly Peter got it right, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23) Yes, there is a seed time (time was added) and harvest (Genesis 8:22) that the liars twist to their own demise, but the spiritual projection all throughout the Bible is toward the harvest or fruit being birthed from the “incorruptible” seed of the word of God. In John Jesus tells us, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat (the seed) fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24) Here we discover we are the seed that must fall into the ground and die and if we do we will bring forth much fruit. Once converted we are born of the incorruptible seed of God and now our spiritual death to our selfishness and self-absorbed attitudes and behavior can yield a spiritual fruitfulness, by the Holy Spirit, beyond our abilities and talents. The seed is not money oh no, it is much much more. You know the more I think of it the more I see “how” the seed is planted is so important. Like all things in God “how” we do things is much more important than what we do. Do we do things for the right reason and with the right heart condition? What are our motives and intentions? James let us know what the right heart condition looks like for those who would desire the good spiritual fruit in their lives. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:17-18) How can we sow peace if our heart and spirit is not at peace? All that we do in God must be done possessing the same character with what we are trying to do. How can we give love, joy, longsuffering, gentle, or mercy if we are not of love joy, longsuffering, gentleness, or mercy? A man cannot give what he does not have. If we have not allowed God to work in our lives so that these attributes and behaviors of God can be planted in our lives then we can only reflect the bad spiritual fruit in our lives from the bad seed planted. Remember, whatsoever is planted grows. The good and the bad seed is planted side- by-side in us, but we are the ones who determine what seed matures and comes forth in our lives. It is like the wheat and the tares they grow together until both the wheat and tares are mature and can handle having the other uprooted from the field, but until then the wheat and tares occupy the same ground (heart).
Some of you know I am a substitute teacher in a middle school (grades 6-8), this is God’s doing and it is marvelous in my sight. This is something God started for me when I retired back in 2000 and He has not changed His mind nor have I. But I see the kids in school and wonder what has gone wrong in their lives. I see their behavior their lack of discipline, truthfulness, respect, honesty, kindness, integrity, and just shake my head. Well, whatsoever is planted grows. Near the end of the school year I had an opportunity to work in the main office there I saw the reason (I believe) why the kids are so dysfunctional and disobedient. Of course at this age they are bombared from MTV, BET, VH1, and all of the garbage on TV and video games. Now, let me say it is not all of the kids, but I could safely say I am describing at least 80 to 85% of the kids at school. There, in the main office, I had a chance to meet the parents of the kids. I could not believe some of the parents. Their dress was embarrassing; ladies came in braless, most wearing see through clothes, clothing too small and way too tight exposing their body parts to kids. Most (both dad and moms) had tattoos covering arms and legs with face, tongue, ear, lip (and only God knows where else) piercings. They have been deceived by the god’s of this world that says this appearance is acceptable well the Bible, in the Old and New Testament, tells us not to tattoo or pierce our body it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Friends our body is not ours to defile. Our body is not a canvas nor is it a pin cushion we were created in the image of God ad when we tattoo or pierce our body we are ignoring God’s word calling Him a liar. At the heart of tattooing and body piercing is open and direct spiritual rebellion to God and His word. Yet I see mainstream denominational pastors with ear rings and face piercing so they can reach the younger generation, mule fritters! (they too need Jesus), but here is the problem they have planted these seeds of rebellion and contempt for God’s word in young lives and whatsoever is planted grows. The Gospel message does not change to meet today’s lifestyle and culture. We are to be separated from what the world looks and acts like. How will the world know we have something different and special if we look and act like everyone else? Sadly these parents were raised on acid/hard rock and even devil worshiping music and now their kids, like them, listen to it. The kids are becoming just like their parents. Another generation is lost and undone without God or His Son. As I talked to the parents the Lord spoke to me and said, “Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:13-14) It was true the blind (the parents) are leading the blind (the kids), how my heart dropped within me. I always knew this, but God really opened my eyes to this ugly truth. Unless they allow God to turn them from their ungodly lifestyle they all will end up in the ditch. I do pray for them and at the right time I stick them in the heart with truth hoping to capture their attention to the realization of their lack of discipline, lack of restraint, obedience, and honesty that is all I can do their parents and God must do the rest, but their parents are missing in action.
In Proverbs Solomon give us some wonderful advice that is not heeded because of the translation of a word. In Proverbs we read, “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:17-18) The word “perish” (Strong’s #6544, to cause to refrain, to show lack of restraint, to let loose restraints) here is not the word we use today to discuss dying, etc, but means restraint. Now let us read it in the Greek, “Where there is no vision the people cast off restraint.” Restraint in our lives is healthy and brings us to completion and purpose just like limitations and restrictions in our lives. The last few generations in America have cast off restraint and God and now we are beginning to pay the price for our disobedience and waywardness. And the church in America is no different. The church is to be the alterative, the answer to the world’s problems, but it is infected with the same evils and sickness as the world. We are to be a called out generation, set apart for the Master’s use, but that is not the case today. You cannot tell where the church ends and the world begins they have merged into one. James Dobson from Focus on the Family has some very surprising statistics regarding the Church in America. They asked over 5,000 Christian women if they could go back and do it all again would they have kids and 70% of the Christian mothers said no they wished they never had kids. They must be raising their kids wrong. If you raise a child right, according to the Bible, they will be a blessing and not cause grief and shame. Granted raising kids is very difficult at times we raised four outstanding kids, but the pain and frustration is always erased by the joy of seeing them grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. These woman are selfish and self-absorbed they have missed the mark to what God has called them to do and should be ashamed of themselves. God does hates divorce! I always wondered why so many churches in America offer marriage counseling (you see it on banners in front of the churches), well according to James Dobson 52% of all Christian marriages today end in divorce that is more than the secular world. Whatsoever planted grows. America is governed by sodomites and lesbians people God said were an abomination, but what does the church say about this? The Supreme Court has reversed almost every law that God hath said was unrighteous and unholy. Christians just because the Supreme Court changes the laws does not mean God’s laws have changed, His word is settled for all times. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Whatsoever is planted in America will grow and the manifestation will be revealed for all the world to see.
I asked the Lord one day why we in the church lack His power and authority and He replied, “because we have gone after His presence and abilities and not allowed Him to shape and mold our character.” Just listen to the contemporary Christian music of today. Sadly, we have substituted a type and shadow of godliness for emotionalism and a mental ascent of knowledge instead of paying the price to personally know God. Our humanistic approach to God (wanting to see if we can get “10 Shekels and a Shirt” from Him) of greedy self-seeking, instead of loving Him for who He is. To my non American friends please do not hitch your wagons to America I believe her best years are behind her unless she humbles herself and seeks the face of God. America whatsoever is planted grows. Hear the word of the Lord! “I am on My way to remove your candlestick from off the altar unless there is a repentance and turning from your wicked ways,” thus sayeth the Lord.
